My End and My Beginning
by eatsnightlockforbreakfast
Summary: He only ever got to see Katniss Everdeen two days of the year: the first, and the last. Modern AU written for Prompts in Panem: Holidays in Panem 2013


_New Years_, the largest celebration in the world. The only two days where it seems like everyone is connected. Party after party. Fireworks, music, and confetti. Happiness and hope. It is an end and a beginning.

It is also the only time that Peeta Mellark ever got to see _her_. The dark haired, grey eyed beauty from the other side of the district. He first noticed her when they were just five years old. It was the first time his parents had allowed him to stay up and attend the annual party...

_There are so many tall people. There are so many small people. So many _people_. Peeta had never been in this kind of crowd before. There must be hundreds of them, all gathered for the party of the year at the spectacular Hall of District 12, the nicest and biggest building in the district. Mayor Undersee goes all out for his party._

_The young boy is quickly ushered off by his mother to the children's area. She tells him that she is going to mingle and that the guards will make sure no one strange takes him. He hugs her legs and tells her to have fun. She pats his blond head with a 'you too' before walking off._

_Peeta looks around the room nervously for a moment, unsure of what to do in the new space. There are a few children sleeping on mats to the far left corner, but the rest of the room is hard at play. There are boys and girls with cars and dolls, stuffed animals and legos, blocks and dinosaurs. To his right are several small tables, and it is there that he finds one of his friends from school, Delly Cartwright. _

_"Delly!" He runs toward her and she looks up to the sound of her name. She jumps up and meets him with a hug._

_"Peeta! I'm happy you're here. I've been all alone. I don't know anyone in here." The little blonde girl pouts. Glancing around, the boy finds he is in the same situation. Most of the kids look like they're from the Seam, with dark hair and tan skin, and the few others with fairer features are not in Peeta and Delly's class._

_"Well...I'm here now!" Peeta grins at her. "What are you doing?"_

_"Drawing." Delly holds up her try at cat playing with yarn. "Do you want to draw with me?"_

_"Okay." He nods and they sit down. She passes him a blank sheet of paper and moves the crayon box so it is situated between them. The two children work together in silence, content to listen to the chatter behind them. _

_Peeta's artistic ability far surpasses that of most other five year olds, and after just ten minutes he has created a decent looking black horse eating from an apple tree. He slides his picture over to his friend. "Pepper." He says with a shy smile. "For you."_

_Delly gasps and her face lights up. "My horse?"_

_He nods._

_"You did so good Peeta! I love it. Thank you." The girl picks up the paper and smiles at it. "When I get home I'm gonna have my mama put it up on my wall. That's what you do with all the real good pictures. My mama says that they need to be there so everyone can see 'em."_

_Peeta feels proud. No one has ever given him a compliment like that, especially not about his art. "Thank you, Delly. I'm glad you like it."_

_"I do, I do!" She singsongs. "Now I'll do one for you." She places the drawing of her horse on top of her own finished pictures and then grabs a new paper to start working on. Peeta watches her for a moment before starting something new himself._

_A few minutes later when Peeta has completed the tops of several yellow flowers a sudden burst of laughter causes him to look away from his work. A large man, one with dark Seam features, has just entered the room. In his arms is a giggling blonde toddler._

_"Daddy! Stop tickling her!" Another young girl enters the room and pulls on the man's pant leg. Peeta's stomach, for the first time, flutters at the sight of her, the girl with two dark braids and a red plaid dress. _

_'"All right, all right." The man chuckles and sets the toddler down. She squeals and runs on wobbly legs to a bin of stuffed animals. The man turns to the older girl. "Will you be okay watching her for a few minutes, darling?"_

_"Yes, Papa!" The girl stands tall and lifts her chin._

_"That's my girl." He taps her nose affectionately. _

_The girl smiles and walks to her father's backside. She starts to push on his legs. "Now go dance with Mama!"_

_"I'm going!" Her father laughs again, a nice deep rumbling sound, and lets the girl lead him out._

_Peeta watches her skip over to the blonde toddler who must be her sister. She rifles through the animal bin and pulls out something white and fluffy. "Look, Primmy! It's a bunny!" When her sister reaches her arms out for it, she hands it over happily. She then proceeds to wiggle her nose and hop around. This sends "Primmy" into a fit of giggles._

_Peeta smiles to himself at the dark haired girl's antics. They seem like they have a nice happy family. He finds himself wishing his brothers would play with him like that._

_He decides that he will add a bunny rabbit into his drawing of dandelions and give it to the girl when he finishes. _

_"Here!" He's just picked out a black crayon when Delly pushes a paper in front of him. "It's a birdie singing a song for you." The "bird" is pink and green and consists of several circles, feet, and a triangular nose. It sits on a brown line, a tree branch, and there are musical notes around its head. "There is one just like it in my book. My daddy told me that these black things," she points to the notes, "means it's singing."_

_"Thank you, Delly!" He grins at his friend. "I love it. I'm putting it on my wall too."_

_Delly grins right back, but a yawn is quick to break it. The young girl rubs her eyes. "I'm getting sleepy. I think I am gonna go lay down. Will you make me get back up before the midnight thing?"_

_"Sure." Peeta nods. "I'm gonna keep drawing."_

_"'kay." Delly yawns again and makes her way over to a mat. Peeta starts on the rabbit._

_He's just finished drawing its face when he hears his name called._

_"Daddy!" Peeta jumps up and runs into his father's waiting arms. Brian Mellark had to tie up some business affairs for the family bakery, and so he couldn't leave for the party with his wife and three boys. "You're here!"_

_"I am." Brian smiles at his youngest son. "What have you been doing, buddy?"_

_Peeta slides down from his father's arms, takes his hand, and pulls him over to the table he has been working at. _

_"It's looking good! Dandelions, and is that going to be a rabbit?" Mr. Mellark is often amazed by the artistic talent of his five-year-old._

_"Uhuh!" Peeta motions for his dad to come closer and he complies, settling down on his knees. Peeta's tone is as hushed as an excited young boy's can be. "I'm making it for the girl over there. With the two dark braids."_

_Brian scans the room for her and his eyes light up in recognition when he finds her sitting by her sister playing with a stuffed cat. "Do you know who that is, Peeta?"_

_His son shakes his head._

_"That's the Everdeen girl. Katniss I think her name is. Her mama and I used to be real good friends, I even thought I was going to marry her someday! But then she met Katniss's father, and she was a goner. She ran off to the Seam side of town as soon as she could just to be with him."_

_Peeta blinks. "Wow...but, Dad, why didn't she want to marry you? Why did she marry someone else?"_

_"She is in love with him. You do crazy things when you love people. You want to know something, bud?"_

_"Uhuh."_

_"Her daddy is an amazing singer." Brian shakes his head and smirks. "I'm pretty sure that even the birds stop chirping long enough to listen when he does. The first time she met him he was singing. She was so impressed, couldn't stop talking about it for days. After that I knew she was going to marry him someday, and sure enough... But, hey! If she and I had gotten married, then I would have never married your mama and had you and your brothers."_

_Peeta mulls this over. "Well, I'm glad you married Mom then."_

_"Me too, son."_

_Katniss's father returns before Peeta can finish her drawing. Primmy is sleeping, though, cuddled beside her sister on a beanbag. Her sister tells their father not to wake her up, and that they'll be fine in the kid room until it is time to go home. Mr. Everdeen kisses both the girls' foreheads before leaving the room once more._

_Peeta sighs in relief. He had panicked when the man came in, afraid he wouldn't be able to give the girl his picture. He gets back to work and gives it his all for another few minutes until it is finally done. Smiling at his creation in his hands, he stands up. He hopes that she will like it._

_The little blond approaches her beanbag slowly, timidly. Halfway there he notices her mouth moving. Another few steps and he hears that she is singing. The sound makes him freeze. _Beautiful_. Her small high voice weaved a soothing lullaby with ease. He has never heard a lovelier song. He finds himself wishing that there were birds around, because he knew that if there were they'd be silent. He now understands exactly what his fathering was saying earlier. _

_Peeta waits for her to finish the song. He really doesn't like to interrupt, and he _really_ wanted to hear her sing more. So when her voice fades into a soft hum, he walks the rest of the way to her._

_"Hi." He says softly, aware of the sleeping toddler._

_Katniss stops humming and stares up at him. "Hi."_

_"My name is Peeta." He gives her a soft smile._

_"I'm Katniss." She gives a slight shy smile back._

_"You can sing really good."_

_Her smile widens. "Thank you."_

_"Um," Peeta brings the paper from behind his back and holds it out to her. "I drew this for you. _

_Katniss takes the paper with her free hand and looks it over. Peeta's face grows red as he waits for her response. She looks up and smiles. "You can draw really good."_

_Peeta beams. _She likes it_. "Thank you."_

_They stare at each other for a while. Peeta can't figure out what to say. Katniss is content with silence. But soon he feels far too awkward. _

_"My friend, she wanted me to make her get up before the midnight thing. But my dad said I could go out with him, so I gotta go tell her." Peeta looks down and digs his toe into the floor._

_"Okay." He looks up at the sound of her voice, pretty even when she's not singing. She's smiling again and his own mouth lifts in response. "Have a good night, Peeta. Happy New Year."_

_"You too, Katniss. Happy New Year." He lingers a moment longer, and then heads off in the direction of the mats. _

_Peeta, with a slightly cranky Delly trailing behind, quickly finds his father waiting at the end of the hall, just as he said he would. He's speaking with a couple other grown ups, so Peeta stands to the side and waits. Delly, however, is not so patient. _

_"Mr. Mellark?" She tugs his pant leg. "Can you please help me find my mom and dad?"_

_Brian looks down. Delly Cartwright grips several papers and looks absolutely exhausted. She must have skipped out on the nap that he and his wife made Peeta take. "Of course, sweetie. Just hang on a moment." He dismisses his friends, letting them know that he'll catch up more later. When they've disappeared into the crowd, he picks the little girl up. She's a cute thing. Curly blonde hair and a pink dress and usually as sweet as can be. She leans her head on his shoulder. "Come on, Peeta." He holds out a hand and smiles warmly at his son. "Let's find the Cartwrights, and then you can tell me how things went with Katniss._

_Delly's parents are not hard to find. Brian had seen them when he came in and they haven't moved far from the spot they were in then. Her mother frets and thanks Brian for bringing her to them. Delly says that she just missed them. Her father tells her that she can stay out with them for the rest of the night. The two Mellarks say their goodbyes and leave the family be._

_Brian leads Peeta to a table and they sit. "So."_

_"So."_

_"Peeta." Brian chuckles. "How did it go?"_

_The boy flushes red. "She liked it."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Uhuh, and I got to hear her sing. She's really good like her daddy."_

_"I bet she is." He watches his son for a moment and then shakes his head. Peeta has his first crush. "Anything else?"_

_"No." He shakes his head._

_"Okay." He stands up, lifting his son into his arms in the process. "Let's go find your brothers and Mom then."_

_Peeta doesn't see her again until they start the countdown. His father has lifted him onto his shoulders, and with the higher vantage point, he spots her quickly. It's the red dress that catches his eye. _

Twenty.

_She's across the room on her own father's shoulders. He keeps his eyes trained on her, hoping she'll look over._

Thirteen.

_Her father must have turned, because Katniss is suddenly facing his direction. _

Eight.

_She looks up from her father and his gaze catches hers._

Seven.

_Her smile is beaming._

Six.

_His grin is so wide his cheeks hurt._

Five.

_He waves._

Four.

_She waves back._

Three.

_Her mouth forms the number, but she doesn't look away._

Two.

_ He joins in, yelling along with the crowd._

One.

_The room bursts into cheers of "Happy New Year!" Confetti flies. Couples kiss and friends embrace. _

_But Peeta doesn't pay attention to any of that. Neither does Katniss. They still watch each other across the room, above everyone else on their fathers' shoulders. _

_"Happy New Year." He tells her._

_He watches her lips for a reply. "Happy New Year."_

For the next few years they had continued like that; Peeta drawing for her, and Katniss singing for him in return. If he was going to give her something she would reciprocate. During the countdown to midnight the pair would find each other in the big room and bring in the year together. New Years quickly became Peeta's favorite holiday. He thought long and hard about each new picture for Katniss, always _always_ including a dandelion. He could never break the often unappreciated flower's connection to when he first saw her.

The year he turned eleven, however, left him stumped. Nothing seemed good enough, nothing special enough. No drawing he did was worthy of Katniss Everdeen.

It was Delly who suggested it. She had heard enough complaining in only six months to last another three years. That and she wanted to have her summer vacation moping Peeta free.

_"Why don't you just pick her a dandelion? Press it in a book. Girls like to get flowers."_

_"Not the kind you can find in your backyard."_

_"You can't get them in your backyard in the winter, Peeta."_

He spent over an hour the next saturday in the yellow field across from his school. If he was going to get her a dandelion it needed to be the best one he could find. It needed to be the brightest and in the best shape, full and healthy. When he finally found the one, he walked as fast as he dared to his family's bakery a few streets away. No harm would come to his perfect flower. He asked his father for an old recipe book, explaining how Delly said that he could keep the flower safe and pretty if he put it between the pages of a heavy book. Together they placed the flower in the perfect position.

_"For Katniss?"_

_"For Katniss."_

Peeta could not have anticipated the effect that this particular gift had on its recipient.

_New Years. Katniss. Peeta has been buzzing with excitement all day. A year is a long time to wait to see someone._

_He tries his best to stay with his parents for at least a little while. His brothers ran off to find their friends as soon as they had arrived, and he saw how their mother frowned as she watched them leave her side. He doesn't want to make her frown. But the flower held between two notecards in his pocket is burning. Burning to finally meet its true owner. He's so jumpy and distracted that his mother ends up shooing him off, the boy too worked up for her to deal with._

_First he finds Delly, still the best friend that he has. _

_"Did you bring it?" She asks._

_"Of course!" He grins. "Wanna see?"_

_"Yes!"_

_He leads her through the masses of mingling people over to the less crowded area by the wall. Carefully, he takes the notecards from his pants pocket and pulls the top one away, revealing a beautifully pressed dandelion. The center remains a bright yellow, but the outer petals have dried to a faded orange. His favorite color._

_"Wow. It looks good, Peeta." A smirk slowly spreads across her face. "I knew it would be a great idea."_

_Peeta chuckles. "Thank you, Delly."_

_"Oh, you are very much welcome." Her smile turns sincere. "So when are you going to give it to her?"_

_Peeta returns the cards to his pocket and shrugs, suddenly nervous. "When I find her."_

_"Well let's go find her!" Delly grabs his arm and pulls him to a nearby table. She climbs up onto a chair. "C'mon. We can see better up higher." He only hesitates a moment before joining her. "I'll take this side of the room," Delly gestures with her left hand and then her right, "and you take that one."_

_"Sounds good." He combs through the crowd carefully, staying on high alert for the girl with dark hair and her blonde sister. He has never seen one without the other. _

_The closer his gaze gets to the center, though, the more his heart drops. What if she isn't here?_

_"'Ya see her ye-oh! Hey." Delly taps on his arm and he turns to her. "Is that her? Over there?" She points to a table near the wall adjacent to them._

_Sure enough, the table is occupied by a girl with two dark braids and one with flowing blonde hair. They are eating._

_"I think so." Peeta tells his friend." "Let's go see."_

_The pair hop down from the chairs and make their way over to where they spotted the girls._

_Once they get a clear view of them, about forty feet away, Peeta is certain. "That's her, Dells."_

_"Awesome!" Delly jumps. "Now go give it to her! Ask her to hang out with us!"_

_Peeta halts at Delly's last request. "Hang out with us?"_

_"Well yeah! It looks like she's all alone. Tell her that she and her sister should come with us when they're done eating."_

_"Umm..." Peeta gulps. "Okay. All right. They can hang out with us."_

_A few moments pass. Delly pushes his back. "Go Peeta!"_

_"I'm going." He mumbles. Slowly, he walks to Katniss's table. The dandelion is pulled out again, and he holds it behind his back. A few feet away he stops. The girls are talking, a muted conversation that he cannot make out. So Peeta waits. He does not interrupt._

_Prim notices him finally when she looks up. A small smile appears on her face, "Peeta!"_

_He smiles back. "Hi Prim." He looks to her sister, who has turned in her seat to look at him. "Hi Katniss."_

_"Hi Peeta." Katniss smiles for a moment, but it doesn't stick. She looks down at her food and scoops some peas into her mouth. _

_That is different. "Uhh-"_

_"Do you want to sit?" Prim tilts her head._

_"Sure." Peeta nods and takes the empty seat to Katniss's left. He places the notecards in his lap. The Everdeen girls continue to eat in silence. "Are you okay, Katniss."_

_"She's just sad still." Peeta's eyes shift to Prim from her sister. The small girl is frowning. "She says Daddy loved New Years."_

_Katniss sniffs. _

_"Why are you sad?" He asks, evident concern in his voice._

_Prim answers again and her eyes start to water. "Daddy isn't coming tonight. He's gone, Peeta. Forever."_

_Peeta's face falls and his eyes widen in shock. _Oh no. _Mr. Everdeen must have died this year. "Oh." He breathes. "I am so sorry." His eyes dart between the girls. Prim looks sad, but isn't really crying. But tears slowly stream down Katniss's face, and all he wants is to wipe them away and pull her into his arms. But he doesn't. He's never hugged Katniss before._

_She decides to talk then. "Mom thought we should come tonight. She said that's what he would want us to do."_

_"Where is she?" Peeta inquires softly._

_"With some of her friends." Katniss sniffs again and wipes underneath her eyes before looking over at Prim and taking her hand._

_"Do you want to be with friends too?"_

_Katniss looks back to Peeta and smiles sadly. "I don't have many friends, Peeta."_

_"Well," he pauses and holds out his hand, "you have me."_

_At that, some warmth returns to the girl's eyes. She watches his hand for a moment and then moves her gaze to his eyes again. "You barely even know me."_

_"I want to." Peeta shrugs. "I've wanted to ever since I first saw you six years ago."_

_"Really?" She sounds doubtful, like she doesn't know the effect she can have on people._

_"Really really." He tells her. _

_She places her hand on the table, close to his outstretched palm but not touching it. "But we only get to see each other once a year."_

_A smile spreads on Peeta's face. "Twice actually."_

_Katniss laughs once, a breathy noise, and Prim giggles._

_"Still."_

_"I'll just have to make those two days worth it then. I'll prove that we can be friends."_

_"You should be friends with Peeta, Katniss." Prim tells her sister. "I want to be friends with him."_

_Peeta directs his smile to Prim. "I'll be friends with you too."_

_Katniss sighs and rolls her eyes, but in an affectionate way. "I guess so then." Hesitantly, she places her hand on top of Peeta's. He gives it a gentle squeeze before she pulls away._

_"Do you want your present now?" The boy asks. He just wants to make her feel better, and his drawings always seemed to make her happy in the past. He just hopes that the different format will have the same effect._

_When Katniss nods he informs her that it's a little different than what he's given her before. "Well show me!" She insists._

_Peeta picks the notecards up from his lap and places them on the table beside her food. "Here."_

_Her eyes narrow and she looks at the cards slightly confused. She picks them up and notices that the top one pulls away. When the dandelion is revealed she gasps. "Is that a dandelion? You got me the actual thing?" She looks up at him, her face showing awe and gratefulness. Peeta's heart soars, _she likes it.

_"I picked it back in June. I pressed it in a book for you."_

_"I love it." She strokes the flower. Their daddy loved dandelions too. He loved to eat them and to make flower crowns of them for all his girls. She does not get sad thinking of this, but becomes overjoyed that she now has this little flower. It was alive when her dad was, during his final moments. He was so sick, but there were still dandelions. Still _is_ a dandelion, now preserved forever thanks to Peeta. It is like a piece of him. A reminder of hope and of happiness. "Thank you so much, Peeta."_

_When Katniss and Prim finish eating, he brings them to Delly. She is ecstatic to finally officially meet the girl that her best friend is so hung up on._

_The four of them pass the night dancing and playing games. Delly and Prim get along fantastically. They spend a good half an hour just talking about animals, including Prim's yellow kitten Buttercup and Delly's horse. Peeta takes this time to get to know Katniss better. He learns her favorite color is green, like the forest. She tells him about how that was her favorite place to go with her father. They spent a lot of time hunting and camping together. Peeta informs her that his favorite color is orange, like the sunset. It's an end and a beginning. He doesn't tell her that that reminds him of her._

_The two friends from the merchant side of town insist that Prim and Katniss try pastries from Mellark Bakery when they discover that they have yet to have them before. The loaded chocolate cupcakes and red velvet whoopie pies are a hit with both Everdeens, but Katniss sneaks back to the food table multiple times to grab a cheese bun._

_A few minutes before midnight Delly leaves the group to find her parents. Peet asks Katniss if she's like him to help her and Prim to find their mother._

_"No." She tells him. "I'm good." She looks to her sister. "Prim? Do you want to go find mom or stay with Peeta?"_

_"Peeta!" Prim jumps up and down._

_"We'll stay with you, if that's okay." Katniss smiles, but some of her earlier sadness has creeped back in._

_"Of course it's okay. We count down the new year every year together anyway. We can just do it closer this time, and with Prim." Peeta flashes a smile to the younger girl._

_"Thank you." Katniss murmurs softly._

_Peeta lets himself gaze at her for a moment, his adoration for her showing obviously on his face. Then he looks down to his shoes. "You haven't sang yet."_

_"Oh, um, right. Yeah." She pulls on the bottom of her braid. "I can-"_

_"Katniss!" Prim interrupts her sister. "Sing him the Meadow Song! You haven't done that one in so long." _

_To be exact, she hadn't sang the Meadow Song since their father died. It had hurt to much to even _think_ of singing her father's go to lullaby. But, like with the dandelion, she finds that it doesn't hurt so much anymore. She wants to sing the song for Prim, for Peeta. The boy has proved to be a better friend in a few hours than the kids in her school who have known her for years. She smiles at her sister, "That's a great idea, Prim."_

_She takes Peeta's hand and pulls him, instructing her sister to follow, over to an entrance to one of the nearby hallways. It's quieter there. The roaring sound of the excited crowd more of a buzz. And she sings for him._

Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow...

_Peeta is mesmerized, more so than any other time he's heard Katniss sing. There is more heart to this song, and somehow it feels like it is _for him_. Like they really are friends, and it's more than just her feeling obligated to return his gift._

_Her song ends with _I love you_ and it sets his heart racing. He knows it was just the words of the song, but the moment feels more personal than that._

_But then Prim is clapping, and Katniss is smiling slightly embarrassed, and he is broken from his reverie. _

_"That was great, Katniss." He breathes._

_Her cheeks heat. "Thank you."_

_"That one is my favorite." Prim informs them both, then her eyes widen and excitement lights up her face. "Look look!" She points to the big clock on the wall. "Eleven fifty-eight! It's almost time!"_

_"That it is, Little Duck." Katniss smiles sadly. "I think I'm ready to say goodbye to this year."_

_"Me too." Prim wraps her arms around her sister's middle. "I think next year will be better."_

_"I hope so." Katniss looks to Peeta then and it appears as if she is considering something. She takes his hand. "Sixty."_

_He squeezes her palm. "Fifty-nine."_

_Prim tries to join in the countdown with them, but ends up mumbling the numbers after they say them until they get to twenty. The room falls into a synchronized chorus then._

_When the clock strikes twelve Prim squeezes her sister and shouts _Happy New Year! _She then does the same to Peeta._

_But like every new year since they'd met, all that Katniss and Peeta are aware of is each other. Katniss steps forward and places a soft kiss on his cheek. "Happy New Year, Peeta."_

_The boy blinks. "Happy New Year."_

The next year Peeta met Katniss's new friend, new _best_ friend, Gale Hawthorne. Peeta did not like Gale Hawthorne. He was fourteen, a freshman in high school, and he got to see Katniss all year long.

_It wasn't fair_. But his best friend was a girl, so he couldn't complain. That wouldn't be fair either.

When she kissed his cheek at midnight again, he didn't feel so jealous anymore.

The next year Gale convinced Madge Undersee to join their group. The mayor's daughter had been sitting alone. Apparently she didn't have very many friends. When your father runs the town, people tend to assume a lot about you.

Peeta was the one to kiss Katniss's cheek that year. Madge had grabbed Gale's collar and pressed her lips to his. Delly frowned and mumbled that she needed to find herself a boyfriend. Prim made a gagging noise.

Even with these new additions they kept their tradition. At some point in the night they would find a quiet place for Katniss to sing, and Peeta would give her that year's drawing.

At sixteen he decided to take advantage of his art class's Georgia O'Keeffe unit. They were asked to make blown up paintings of flowers, and he, of course, chose to do a dandelion. The image earned him an A. His teacher wanted him to put it in the art fair, but Peeta refused. The fair was in January. It was more important that Katniss have it anyway.

He couldn't bring it into the party, it was too big. So he brought his own car and kept it in there.

_Katniss finds Peeta first. She goes up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. "Where's my present?"_

_"Whoa." He spins around and she lets her arms fall. "Katniss. You scared me."_

_She laughs and the sound warms his heart. God he missed her. She looks beautiful. Clad in a pretty long sleeved dark blue dress that hugs her upper body and flows out at the waist, her hair pinned up in an intricate weave of braids. He can't help himself from expressing his thoughts. "You look beautiful tonight, Katniss."_

_Her smile turns shy. "Thank you. You look good too."_

_He runs a hand through his blond curls. His mother insisted on him wearing his black dress pants, and he paired them with a forest green button up and black tie. "Sure."_

_"Really!" She nods earnestly. "The girls will be lining up to dance with you."_

_Rolling his eyes Peeta shakes his head. "I don't need any other girls to dance with..." He trails off and tilts his head. "Where's Prim?"_

_Katniss lets out an exasperated sigh. "With her friends. Apparently she's too cool to hang out with her big sister anymore. Whatever." She shrugs and then pushes on his shoulder. "So where is my present?"_

_"Um," he smiles, "it's in my car?" He doesn't mean for it to be a question, but she's making him ridiculously nervous._

_"You didn't bring it in?" _

_"It's kind of big."_

_Katniss's eyes spark with interest. "All right. Let's go to your car then."_

_"So eager." Peeta laughs. _

_"Always. You're a brilliant artist, Peeta. I look forward to this every year."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really." She smiles and takes his hand. "Let's _go!_"_

_"Okay, okay." He leads her to the entry room and they grab their coats. Outside, they weave through the cars in the parking lot to his grey Camry. He stops in front of the door to the back seat and rocks up on his toes. "I may have framed it."_

_"I may like that."_

_Taking a deep breath Peeta turns and unlocks the door. When he has it open he steps to the side. "Take a look."_

_He doesn't watch for her reaction. He's too scared she'll hate it._

_"Oh, Peeta." She gasps. She grabs his face and looks up at him in awe. "It's beautiful. Too beautiful. I don't deserve-"_

_He stops her right there. "You do deserve it Katniss." He grabs her wrists and pulls her hands from his face so he can lace their fingers together. "You deserve all sorts of beautiful things."_

_She looks down at their hands and then back to his eyes. His sparkling blue eyes framed by the longest eyelashes she has ever seen on a boy. "Why?"_

_He is bold for a moment and rests his head on hers. "I don't think you know, Katniss, the effect you can have."_

_They stay like that in silence for a while, and then Katniss opens her mouth to sing._

_They mostly stay to themselves that night, too caught up in the new dynamic between them. They laugh and they dance and they tell each other all about what has happened since they last saw one another. Peeta tells her about the art school he's applying to in the fall, and she tells him she's on track to get a full scholarship to a university only half an hour away._

_"Maybe then we won't have to wait until New Years to see each other." He suggests._

_"Maybe." She contemplates. "That'd be nice. No more families getting in our way." They'd talked about it. Seeing each other during the year. But Peeta had to work at the bakery all summer, and Katniss had to watch Prim while their mother was working at the hospital. It just didn't work out._

_Peeta pulls her closer and they continue to sway to the music._

_Midnight comes far too fast for the pair's liking, as it does every year. But this time they are not with their families and not with their friends. They are still in the middle of the dance floor, wrapped in each other's arms. _

_"This was a good year." Katniss sighs happily and rests her head on Peeta's chest._

_"Yeah." He runs a hand down her back. "But I have a feeling next year will be better."_

_Pulling back slightly, she looks at him curiously. "Really? Why?"_

_A playful grin spreads on Peeta's face. "You'll see."_

_A group of butterflies start to flutter in Katniss's stomach. _

_"Sixty." He squeezes her waist._

Here we go.

_As the numbers get lower the excitement in the room grows and the energy between the two intensifies. They are on the cusp of something, and they both know that the stroke of midnight will change everything._

Five.

_She's ready for things to change._

Four.

_He's _so _ready for things to change._

_"Three." They whisper together._

_Peeta leans his forehead on hers. "Two."_

_Katniss takes a deep shaking breath._

_"One."_

_They close the distance together, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. Peeta brings his hand up to cup her cheek and Katniss's fingers curl in the hair at the base of his neck._

_A few seconds pass, but to them it seems like the world has stopped. The moment lasts forever._

_When they pull apart, it is only just barely. Just enough so they can speak._

_"Happy New Year."_

_"Happy New Year indeed."_

_And then they are kissing again. _

This year they enter the party together.

The year following their first kiss, Katniss's mother bought the family cell phones. She said that since they were apart so often, she'd feel safer with them having a way to communicate. When she saw Peeta at the New Years party that year she was ecstatic to inform him that they would finally have a way to stay connected during the year. They kissed a lot that night. The next summer, the summer after they graduated high school, Peeta finished working at the bakery and Katniss decided that Prim was old enough to watch herself sometimes. She visited friends often enough, though, that she was rarely even home. They finally were able to see each other.

One date in July and they were officially together.

They drove together to their respective schools that fall. Peeta helped Katniss move her things into the apartment she was going to be sharing with Madge. She had been at the university for a year already, and hated being alone. When she found out Katniss was going to be attending the same school, she insisted the other girl move in with her. Katniss liked Madge, she'd been dating her best friend for several years after all, and happily accepted the offer.

They see each other most weekends and make the trip home together on breaks. They make it work. They value and make the most of all the time they have together. The time they were forced to spend apart when they were younger made them realize how precious each moment they have together is.

"Does this feel kind of weird to you?" Katniss asks him, swinging their joined hands.

Peeta laughs. "A little, but in a good way. I like seeing you on more than just two days of the year."

"Me too." Katniss pecks his cheek.

They spend the night laughing with old friends, teasing their siblings, teasing each other. For the first time there are no bittersweet undertones to the night, only hope and happiness.

Peeta gives Katniss a colored sketch of her in a field with a dandelion crown. It's a miracle he was able to keep it hidden from her for so long.

At his request, she sings him the lullaby she sang the first time he had heard her.

After they kiss at midnight, he does not wish her a happy New Year. Instead he tells her, "I love you."

She grins and kisses him again, hungrily, and pulls back breathless. "I love you too, Peeta."

"You want to get out of here?" He asks her, his eyes glowing with happiness and desire.

"Yes." She nods. "Yes, please."

They say quick goodbyes to their families before exiting the town hall and getting in Peeta's car.

"Your house, right?" He asks turning his keys in the ignition.

"Right. Prim's staying with a friend tonight, and Mom shouldn't be home for a few more hours." She bites her lip. "Her room is downstairs anyways."

Peeta swallows. "Okay."

The ride there is mostly silent, but full of tension. They'd started exploring one another only a few weeks ago. This kind of hunger for the other is new and exciting and _constant_. They can't get enough of each other. And with Katniss on birth control, they can go at it whenever they feel the need.

A few minutes from her house she grabs his hand. He glances at her and smiles.

"That dress has been torturing me all night." Peeta says, eyes on the road.

"Good." She smirks and smooths the hem of her orange mid thigh length dress. "That was the intention."

"You're horrible."

She just laughs and pulses his hand.

They've barely made it through the door when Peeta attacks her mouth with his. He picks her up by the waist and presses her against the door. Their tongues tangle and their hands roam for several minutes before Katniss pulls away. "Upstairs, Peeta."

He follows her command and she directs him to her room at the end of the hall between the kisses she places on his neck. When he sets her down she closes the door before walking across the room to plug in her twinkle lights. Turning to face him she runs her hand down her braid and pulls out the elastic at its end. She finger combs her dark brown locks until they are loose around her face.

Peeta starts to walk toward her. "You're so damn beautiful, Katniss."

She smiles impishly and reaches around her back to the zipper of her dress. Her dress is hanging slack on her shoulders when Peeta reaches her.

She reaches up to loosen and pull off his tie before making quick work of his shirt's buttons. "You know," she breaths, "you've been driving crazy all night as well. That stunt you pulled when we were dancing..." Katniss shakes her head and pulls his shirt down his arms. "I didn't know if I wanted to hit you or jump you."

He had been holding her from behind, his hands resting on her stomach. She had one hand on his and the other gripped his neck. Their hips were swaying together to the beat of the song and she could feel his hardness pressing into her behind. Then he started whispering to her, how he wished they were alone and what he'd do if they were. His hands moved too, skimming her thighs and brushing the sides of her breasts. He melted her down into a puddle of want and need. But when the song ended he had pulled away, taken her hand, his face completely innocent, and pulled her over to meet Delly's new boyfriend Thom. The rest of their time at the party was filled with not so innocent brushes and touches. It became a game, seeing who could affect the other more.

Peeta smirks and pulls down on her dress until it falls to the floor. "That was the intention."

Katniss's eyes darken and she scowls, an expression which serves to turn Peeta on more than he already is. She steps out of her heels and away from her dress and pushes on her boyfriend's bare chest until he lands on her bed. He kicks off his shoes and socks before scooting back so he is sitting against the headboard. Katniss crawls up beside him and nibbles on his ear. "Take off your pants, Peeta."

When the garment is removed she settles on his lap and leans in to kiss him. She worries his bottom lip between her teeth and then runs her tongue over it. He meets it with his own and they end up fighting a battle for dominance.

Peeta wins. He has maneuvered them around so Katniss is pinned beneath him. His tongue strokes languidly against hers in time with the slight thrusting of his hips.

Katniss mewls and wraps her legs around him, encouraging him to move harder and faster against her.

His mouth moves away from hers and he starts a trail of kisses down her throat, across her collarbone, and along the edge of her lacy black bra. She sticks her chest up and he moves his hands up her spine to undo the clasp of her bra. He pulls it away and then his mouth is covering her right nipple. She gasps and fists his hair, holding him against her.

"Peeta." She grinds her hips into his, slowly, deliberately.

He groans against her chest. He wanted to take his time, but apparently Katniss does not. He moves his head to place open mouthed kisses on her other breast, briefly flicking at her nipple with his tongue, before moving up to kiss her again.

Their hips continue to roll together and soon Katniss breaks the kiss, throwing her head back with a moan, dragging her hands down his back to grab onto his ass.

So damn beautiful. Peeta pushes up onto his knees so he can remove her underwear. He needs to be inside her. Now.

As soon as he's settled back above her, Katniss starts to pull down his boxers but halts when his hand finds its way to her center, circling where she is throbbing for him most.

"Peeta!" She moans, her back arching.

He lets out a groan in response and places several kisses along her jaw, his hardness now moving against her thigh.

When Katniss feels her orgasm start to build she reluctantly pushes his hand away. "Peeta, I want-"

And she doesn't need to say anything else. "Me too." He tells her with a husky voice.

His boxers are thrown to the floor with the rest of their clothing and he settles between her legs once again. He kisses her deeply, holding her face in his hands, and then sinks into her. Their moans of pleasure are swallowed in their kiss.

They move together slowly at first, and Peeta can't tell where he ends and she begins. He is engulfed by Katniss, the only girl he has ever wanted, ever needed. He knew since that very first New Years that that she is where he belongs.

Their kiss breaks when it all starts to be too much and yet not enough. He pushes himself into her faster, need and desire taking him over. Moans grow louder and more frequent.

Then Katniss lifts and circles her hips in time with his thrusts until she is crying out his name, her walls fluttering around him.

A few more thrusts and he is following her over the edge, groaning into the side of her neck. "Katniss, Katniss, _Katniss_."

When his breathing has evened out, Peeta pushes up onto his elbows and grins at her.

She gives one right back and places a quick kiss on his nose. "Happy New Year, Peeta."

He chuckles and touches his forehead to hers. "Happy New Year, Katniss."


End file.
